Flooring material and floor construction



Pl'l 13 1943- A. c. FISCHER 2,316,232

v FLOORING MATERIAL AND FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 29,` 193s 472559767 Esc/rfa Patented Apr. 13, 1943 FLOORING MATERIAL AND' FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Albert 0. Fischer, Chicago, Ill. Application November 29, 1938, Serial No. 243,005

5 Claims.

This. invention relates to flooring material and an improved floor construction produced therewith.

It is the object of the present invention to provide `novel'iooring material which is capable of economical manufactureand rapid assembly to produce a oor construction which is durable, notV subject to warping, and light and quiet on thetread, rendering` it particularly desirable in such public places as hospitals, libraries, and even in-homes.

Itis the object of the present'invention to provide a flooring of artificial materials which may be laid exclusively` of this material or in combination with wooden flooring to obtain desirable ornamental and `structural eiiects.

The present invention proceeds upon the principle ofl producing composition material in the form of conventional planks fitted with tongues and grooves in the same manner as these elements are provided on Wooden flooring. This composition may be of any suitable color or texture in order to obtain desired tread effects. Such iiooring can be laid expeditiously entirely of planks of such material or the same may be alternated in any degree with wooden flooring of oak, maple or any other Wood. The compositions may be made up of any plastic binding materials in Which may be incorpo-rated mineral iillers and fibrous matter. Likewise the planks may be composed of cork rubber compounds in order to obtain the desired structural effects. The edges of the floor may be finished ofi by planks having plain edges rather than tongued edges, in order that these end planks may serve as expansion joints for the ii-oor construction, thereby eliminating any possibilities of warping.

Other objects and purposes will appear from the more detailed description of the invention following hereinafter taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a plank formed of composition material;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a plank formed of a cork and rubber mixture; Y

Figure 3 is a perspective View of a plank designed to form one edge of the floor in which case the same functions as an expansion joint;

Figure i is a perspective View of a iioor showing Wooden planks alternated with composition planks;

Figure 5 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 4 showing planks formed of cork rubber compound alternating with Wooden planks; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a group of three wooden planks adjacent to an end plank formed of composition material.

In Figure l is shown a small portion of a plank l of composition material which is provided with Y a tongue or projection 2 and a groove3 extending material for incorporating therewith 50% of mineral matter and 10% to 15% of iibrous Inaterial.

Although the binder material may be of an asphaltic nature, the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Any suitable resins and phenol condensation products may be employed which lend themselves to light or dark coloring to obtain the desired color effects. The flooring may be of a uniform color or may be formed according to a color pattern. l

In Figure 2 is shown a plank la formed of a cork rubber compound fitted with a tongue or projection 2a and a groove 3a designed to cooperate with the grooves and projections in juxtaposed planks in the same manner as described above in connection with the plank disclosed in Figure 1. VThe material in this plank is composed of cork particles embedded in rubber which is subjected to a vulcanization process, or the cork particles may be embedded in a resin formaldehyde binder.

In Figure 3 is shown an end plank which may be formed of composition material having either cork or mineral material incorporated therein. This plank is provided with a plain edge 4a which is designed to iit snugly against the wall and to operate as an expansion joint for the floor.

The planks as shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be employed in the laying of floors of any size. If desired, the iioors may be made up solely of planks shown in Figure l, or solely of the planks la shown in Figure 2. On the other hand, the planks of the composition materials may be alternated with respect to those ol cork rubber compositions or each of these types of planks may be alternated with respect to wooden planks 5 of oak, maple, or any other Wooden floorings as The floor constructed of the planks disclosed Y.

herein in conjunction with or to the exclusion of wood, by virtue of its inherent resilience operates as a sound-deadening surface and one which is durable and not subject to warping. lIt is understood that the present flooring may be used in conjunction with any suitable" subfloor ings or supporting layers to obtain desired eiects, for example, such as is obtained by a resilient underlay. 1

While I have described my invention as embodied in specific form and as operating in a specific Vmanner for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since various modications Will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my inven tion, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. An indoor floor construction comprising Wooden planks of conventional ooring thickness tted with projections and grooves extending longitudinally thereof alternated with planks of yielding plastic material of the same thickness likewise tted with projections and grooves extending longitudinally of the planks upon opposite sides thereof and adapted for interengagement with the grooves and projections, respectively, of the wooden planks.

2. An indoor floor construction comprising a group composed of a plurality of juxtaposed wooden planks of conventional flooring thickness each fitted with projections and grooves extending longitudinally upon opposite edges thereof distributed adjacent to planks of yielding plastic material of the same thickness likewise fitted with projections and grooves extending longitudinally of the planks upon opposite sides thereof and adapted for interengagement with the grooves and projections respectively of the wooden planks.

- 3. An indoor floor construction composed of a plurality of juxtaposed flooring planks of substantial thickness of the order of conventional wooden planks and provided with interengaging tongues and grooves along the complete length thereof, each of said planks being formed'ofV a cork and rubber mixture.

4. An indoor floor construction comprising wooden planks of conventional ilooring thickness fitted with tongues and grooves extending longitudinally upon opposite edges thereof alternating with planks of cork and vulcanized rubber mixtures of the same thickness and likewise fitted with tongues and grooves extending longitudinally upon opposite edges thereof, and adapted for interengagement with the grooves and tongues, respectively, of the adjacent Wooden planks.

5. An indoor floor construction as set forth in claim 2, and provided with an end plank of yielding material having a plain edge serving as an expansion joint for the oor.

Y ALBERT C. FISCHER. 

